London North Eastern Railway (LNER) First Class service

[tsr]

I'm not so sure ... it is the third-quarter moon in the seventh month of the year of the snake after all!

I thought the snake was replaced by sandwiches between Grantham and York?

 

[paulypaul]

I'm very much looking forward to hearing readers' reviews and possibly pics of the new FC offering. I'm travelling EDH to PBO in December with my old dad, so it would be nice to know what others think.

I'm surprise EC haven't issued a press release heralding the new offering.

 

[ainsworth74]

I'm surprise EC haven't issued a press release heralding the new offering.

No point for menu changes as it isn't really anything that spectacular. The general format of the service will remain the same.

 

[Butts]

No point for menu changes as it isn't really anything that spectacular. The general format of the service will remain the same.

He's obviously not a regular patron - I hope he's not expecting Steak Diane or the like

 

[calc7]

He's obviously not a regular patron - I hope he's not expecting Steak Diane or the like

"Patron" or "mug"? - we keep going back with a faint glimmer of hope that it might get better!

 

[paulypaul]

I would have thought that a revamp of the service offering would be worthy of a press release from the comms team at EC. I'm sure that a new improved offering would be a valuable marketing tool.

 

[transmanche]

I would have thought that a revamp of the service offering would be worthy of a press release from the comms team at EC. I'm sure that a new improved offering would be a valuable marketing tool.

Is it an improved offering? Or just a seasonal menu change?

 

[ainsworth74]

I would have thought that a revamp of the service offering would be worthy of a press release from the comms team at EC.

It isn't a revamp it's a refresh of the menu a change of the menu to match the season basically. They do this once or twice a year.

 

[calc7]

I'm surprised they don't use it to try and generate even a little goodwill.

Unless the new options sound that unpalatable that it would actually damage their standing.

 

[paulypaul]

Given the longevity of this thread, there clearly is some public interest in a revamped/refreshed menu. Im just surprised the EC didn't use it as a marketing tool, that was all.

 

[whitrope]

DOR has got its act together and makes Virgin look second rate in MHO.

 

[ainsworth74]

I think when things run as advertised (which is most common on the Newcastle/Leeds - London part of the route) I agree that East Coast has got a very good product in first class (even DaveNewcastle agreed with me on that point when we were on a service out of Kings Cross ). The main problem is the lack of consistency, especially travelling north from of York or in Scotland. Anything else, personally, is just tinkering around the edges to make things better like introducing black pudding or making the southbound all-day offer more substantial around tea time (for instance serving the pork pie and salad with chips rather than just by itself). If East Coast could make things consistent so they always offered what they advertised I think half the complaints would be gone at once.

 

[transmanche]

Given the longevity of this thread, there clearly is some public interest in a revamped/refreshed menu.

Bear in mind this is a somewhat 'specialist' forum. Just because things may spark a lot of debate here does not necessarily mean they are of interest to the general public.

 

[paulypaul]

Bear in mind this is a somewhat 'specialist' forum. Just because things may spark a lot of debate here does not necessarily mean they are of interest to the general public.

The forum may be 'specialist'. This particular thread has received over 210,000 views, an average of 350+ views per day. It is one of the most viewed threads on the forum. I dont believe it got that way by appealing exclusively to 'specialists'.

 

[telstarbox]

That doesn't mean everyone who reads or comments on the thread is a typical or regular EC First passenger.

 

[transmanche]

The forum may be 'specialist'. This particular thread has received over 210,000 views, an average of 350+ views per day. It is one of the most viewed threads on the forum.

That's because the thread has been going for over 18 months. Right back to when East Coast introduced the first class offer. It could have been split into sub-threads; as it started out as a discussion of the new service - but today is mainly grumbles about said service.

And if you look back to the first post of the thread, you'll see that the offer hasn't changed - merely the menu.

 

[TRAINLINCS]

New 1st complimentary menus and rotation are now posted on East Coast site. What do folks think? Changes may suit some but it seems you must take your own biscuit supplies on week days now.

 

[Butts]

New 1st complimentary menus and rotation are now posted on East Coast site.What do folks think? Changes may suit some but it seems you must take your own biscuit supplies on week days now.

What an outrage - what has replaced the biscuits ? -Cake ?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/on-board-our-trains/food1/on-board-dining-menus/

If you care to look for yourself Butts...

 

[Butts]

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/on-board-our-trains/food1/on-board-dining-menus/

If you care to look for yourself Butts...

Welcome back "creator" 18 months down the line your thread is still going strong

Thanks for the link I see my earlier post about the omlette replacing the scrambled egg was correct - still no black pudding.

It all looks wonderful on paper but as my experience boarding at Morpeth at 2156 last week shows - largely "fantasy island"

What is your view about the level of delivery one and a half years on ?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I can't really comment - I've only ever been in First Class once and that was back in the days of NXEC on a Sunday between Kings Cross and Inverness. I got offered coffee about 20 times overall and more snacks than I think was possible to safely digest. Orders for (paid for!) food off the menu were taken after Edinburgh, probably around Falkirk or Stirling, and served around Perth. I had some sort of sandwich / panini with salad, for about £8 it wasn't actually too bad.

 

[Bungle73]

Why the hell do they have to make the type so small? I have perfect vision and even I can hardly read it!

 

[calc7]

Why the hell do they have to make the type so small? I have perfect vision and even I can hardly read it!

Try reading the "only one drink per 'trolley run'" smallprint!

 

[Butts]

Why the hell do they have to make the type so small? I have perfect vision and even I can hardly read it!

So it matches the size of the meals

 

[marks87]

Looks like the cheese selection has been improved. Although this...

Soft cheese, Similar in shape to Camembert,
with a subtle and creamy texture

...reminds me of that "looks like a Golf, sounds like a Golf" car advert

 

[johnnychips]

Soft cheese, Similar in shape to Camembert,
with a subtle and creamy texture

Lymeswold! Any older readers remember that! Though I think it had blue bits in it.

 

[calc7]

The smoking sections in the front of coach B for standard and rear of M for first (the partitions remain by the way, just without the sliding doors) were stopped about 3 months before the smoking ban for inclosed public spaces came into law in Scotland. I cant remember the date but i have a feeling you might. GNER thought (and probably rightly) it would be impossiable to enforce the ban when the train crossed the border at Berwick so just decided to ban smoking full stop. I believe but im not 100% sure GNER was the last TOC to allow smoking on its trains.

Hi YorkshireRider - has there been any change to the staunchly guarded "service manager's pattern cards" in tandem with the new menu, for instance relaxations in the attitude to the dispensal of slices of toast, cold drinks and the like?

 

[telstarbox]

Looks like the cheese selection has been improved.

...and now comes with "celery, apple and crackers" - decadent!

 

[marks87]

...and now comes with "celery, apple and crackers" - decadent!

But it does seem you still only get two types, which change with each rotation.

Why not all eight at once, or even four from eight on the plate? That makes it more of a "selection".

Looking at the menus in detail (CTRL and '+' zooms the page in, incidentally), this is the first time since the new offering was introduced that all the hot options on the all-day/evening menu rotations look appealing to me: steak pie, beef lasagne, fish and chips or sausage and mash.

 

[Butts]

But it does seem you still only get two types, which change with each rotation.

Why not all eight at once, or even four from eight on the plate? That makes it more of a "selection".

Looking at the menus in detail (CTRL and '+' zooms the page in, incidentally), this is the first time since the new offering was introduced that all the hot options on the all-day/evening menu rotations look appealing to me: steak pie, beef lasagne, fish and chips or sausage and mash.

Steady on with the cheese - you'll be lucky if you get a dairylea triangle

I would like to experience the all day menu but north of York it's as rare as hens teeth :cry: